ISyE Seminar Series: Florian Schattenmann
"From Molecules to Meals: Building a Sustainable Future Through Innovation"
Florian Schattenmann
Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Innovation and Research & Development (R&D)
Cargill
About the Seminar:
The future of food hinges on rethinking the way we create, source, and scale ingredients. Innovation in molecular science, precision fermentation, and synthetic biology is allowing us to produce ingredients with less waste, fewer inputs, and more targeted benefits. From natural sugar alternatives like EverSweet® steviol glycosides to next-gen proteins like ABUNDA® mycoprotein, these scientific breakthroughs aren’t theoretical — they’re already changing what ends up on our plates. At Cargill, we see innovation as a driver of long-term impact, enabling us to reimagine ingredients for health, taste, and performance, while meeting fast-changing consumer demands.
Making the bioeconomy work through renewable ingredients and scale isn’t just a trend, it’s a transformation to a more circular system. Whether it’s turning citrus peels into skin care or used cooking oil into renewable fuels, we’re bringing these solutions to the shelves, kitchens, and people who need them most. Cargill is accelerating this shift, working with partners to bring bio-based materials, healthier food options to market. Join this session to learn more about how we go from molecules to meals, turning science into systems that reshape our growing world, and some personal lessons learned along the way.
About the Speaker:
Florian Schattenmann is Cargill’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Innovation and Research & Development (R&D). He drives innovation for the Food enterprise as part of the leadership team, overseeing a global team dedicated to developing market and customer-driven solutions while still leading innovation and R&D efforts across Cargill. Florian also oversees the Food Safety Quality and Regulatory team in enhancing food safety standards and chairs Cargill’s Ventures Board, guiding strategic investments in innovative technologies.
Prior to joining Cargill in November 2018, Florian spent eight years at The Dow Chemical Company. His most recent role was Vice President for Performance Materials & Coatings R&D, where he led innovation across a diverse set of specialty businesses. Florian has also held leadership roles at SulphCo Inc., Momentive Performance Materials and General Electric (GE)-Bayer Silicones. Earlier in his career, Florian managed several research laboratories at the GE Global Research Center.
Florian is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, holds seven U.S. patents and has numerous publications. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Vernay Laboratories Inc., a privately held specialty elastomer parts manufacturer. He serves on multiple advisory boards including the College of Science and Engineering at University of Minnesota, the Department of Chemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the American Chemical Society CTO forum. He earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his Diplom Chemiker degree from the Technische Universität München in Munich, Germany.
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